


Songbird

by ifishouldvanish



Series: Alterations 'Verse [4]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Engagement, F/M, Ficlet, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-25
Updated: 2017-11-25
Packaged: 2019-02-06 17:12:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12822201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ifishouldvanish/pseuds/ifishouldvanish
Summary: After accepting Lennon's proposal, Belle can't sleep until she shares the news of the engagement with a certain someone.





	Songbird

**Author's Note:**

> **Anonymous Asked:** Alterations! Belle. Lennon's proposal was so romantic. So who was the first person you told about your engagement?

Belle quietly shifted in bed, turning around to look at him. She smiled and brushed his hair out of his face, finding him fast asleep. Her and Lennon. Husband and wife. Or at least, they would be soon. But in her mind, they already were, really. No word from a public servant or priest, nor any elaborate ceremony mattered half as much to her as the simple fact that they’d chosen each other.

She pulled the covers off of her body and climbed out of bed, softly stepping out of the bedroom and into the bathroom. She stood in front of the mirror, eyes focused on the delicate gold chain around her neck, and the little gold locket that dangled from it.

Belle took the locket between her fingers and smiled at her reflection, her eyes already becoming wet with tears again.

She turned away and seated herself on the toilet lid, rubbing her finger over the pendant again and again until it grew warm in her hand.

“H–”

Her breath hitched in her throat and she scoffed, hanging her head in shame over how long it had been.

“Hi, mama.” She managed this time, wiping a tear from her eye. “It’s your baby.”

She took another deep breath, and she could hear the house make a settling noise.

“I know it’s been a long time… but I–” she cut herself off and laughed. “Well, it felt like I never had any good news to tell you. But I… well, I have good news now, and I wanted to tell you first, okay?”

Belle looked at the ring on her finger for a moment, and the mere sight of it comforted her just as much a hug or a squeeze of the hand from Lennon would.

“I got engaged, Mama.” She said, smiling down at the floor and curling her toes. Her vision blurred as tears filled her eyes, so she clenched them shut, freeing them to roll down her cheeks. “His name is Lennon. Lennon Gold, and he’s my best friend. I think you would like him. He’s a good man, and he has a little boy named Bae who’s cute as a button,” she laughed. “He likes it when I read to him, so um… well, I try to read to him as much as I can, just like you did for me when I was little.”

She smiled broadly and instinctively threw a hand over her mouth. She reminded herself it that it was just her and mom though, and let go. Mama would want to see her smile. There was so much to tell her though, and she had to pick someplace to begin.

“I have to be honest though.” Belle admitted. “Last year, I was going to marry another man. I don’t really know why. I didn’t love him or even like him, but I guess he just seemed like the sort of man I was supposed to want to marry. He was handsome and had a good job and a nice house and… well, Lennon has never really had either of those things.” Belle paused and smiled up at the ceiling. “He is handsome, though,” she laughed.

There was so much more to their story though, so she looked back down at the floor, took a deep breath, and swallowed hard. “He uh… he didn’t have a mom like you to show him how to be brave, Mama. She– well, she’s a wicked woman who hurt him and his little boy. But Lennon, you know, he loves with all his heart. He loves  _so_ much, even her, that he couldn’t bring himself to leave. I tried to teach him how to do the brave thing. And when he finally did it, I was just so proud of him. But then I realized I had to be brave too. So in the end, we showed each other how to be brave.”

“I love him so much,” Belle sniffled. “He makes me so happy, and I know when the day comes, you’ll be there, smiling with us.”

She sat for several minutes, drying her tears and wiping her nose. Taking the pendant between her fingers, she brought it up to her lips and pressed a kiss to it.

“Goodnight, Mama. I love you.” She whispered, and quietly returned to the bedroom.


End file.
